WWE fans often argue about when the Ruthless Aggression Era really began. Some think this era began just after WrestleMania 17, but frankly it makes more sense that the start of the Ruthless Aggression Era was May 6, 2002, when the brand split officially began.
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This was an absolutely epic era, with memorable wrestling matches and excellent stories, starring some of the greatest wrestlers in history such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, The Undertaker, John Cena, Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle. The first 10 PPVs of the WWE Ruthless Aggression Era were excellent overall, although a couple of them were quite disappointing.
10 King Of The Ring 2002
Among the first 10 PPVs of the WWE Ruthless Aggression Era, the worst was undoubtedly King Of The Ring 2002, which was the last King Of The Ring PPV. In the opening match, Rob Van Dam defeated Chris Jericho to advance to the finals of the tournament, and that was the only standout match of the PPV.
The rest of the PPV was pretty lackluster, the tournament final match between Brock Lesnar and RVD was disappointing, and the main event (The Undertaker vs. Triple H for the Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship) left a lot to be desired.
9 Rebellion 2002
Rebellion 2002 was a decent PPV, but nothing special, and thus it has been forgotten. The main event was a Two-On-One Handicap match in which Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman defeated Edge. Obviously Heyman was barely involved in the match, but it was fun to watch him in the ring, and the bout was entertaining.
There were also a couple of other good matches, such as the Cruiserweight Title Three Way Elimination match between Jamie Noble, Rey Mysterio and Tajiri, but overall, it was a forgettable PPV.
8 Armageddon 2002
This PPV was solid from start to finish, with a good match card and nice stories. The opener was a Four Way Elimination tag team match for the World Tag Team Title, an entertaining affair which saw Booker T and Goldust capture gold.
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Kurt Angle and The Big Show delivered a good match, Victoria defeated Jacqueline and Trish Stratus to retain the World Women’s Title. The main event was a Three Stages of Hell match, in which Triple H defeated Shawn Michaels to become World Heavyweight Champion.
7 Unforgiven 2002
Unforgiven 2002 was quite enjoyable, a well-structured show, with good wrestling matches and good booking in general.
The main event featured WWE Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar taking on The Undertaker, a great match, although the ending was not to everyone's liking, but admittedly it made sense storyline-wise. Eddie Guerrero defeated Edge in an excellent match, and Triple H and Rob Van Dam put on a good show as well.
6 Judgment Day 2002
This PPV had eight matches, of which two were amazing, the Hair vs. Hair match between Kurt Angle and Edge, and the Hell In A Cell match between Triple H and Chris Jericho. The rest of the matches were at least decent.
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Eddie Guerrero retained the Intercontinental Title against Rob Van Dam in a good match, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Ric Flair and The Big Show, and in the main event The Undertaker defeated Hulk Hogan to win the Undisputed World Heavyweight Title.
5 Vengeance 2002
Vengeance 2002 is mostly remembered because of its fantastic main event, a triple threat match in which The Rock defeated Kurt Angle and The Undertaker to become Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion.
The rest of the PPV was solid as well, Rob Van Dam and Brock Lesnar delivered a good bout, Jamie Noble beat Billy Kidman in an entertaining match, and Christian and Lance Storm won the Tag Team Titles after defeating Edge and Hulk Hogan.
4 Royal Rumble 2003
Obviously the most important part of the Royal Rumble PPV is the Royal Rumble match, and this time the Royal Rumble match lived up to expectations.
It was a good match, with good moments and a good winner (Brock Lesnar), even this was where the feud between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho started, which would lead them to clash at WrestleMania. The rest of the PPV was pretty good too, although we have to admit that the match between Triple H and Scott Steiner was awful.
3 No Mercy 2002
No Mercy 2002 had ups and downs, but overall it was a memorable PPV. The main event was a Hell In A Cell match between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, which was absolutely phenomenal.
It was a brutal battle, both wrestlers put in admirable efforts, and in the end, it was Lesnar who prevailed. Jamie Noble and Tajiri had a great match, and Chris Jericho and Christian defeated Booker T and Goldust in a good match.
2 Survivor Series 2002
This was a flawless PPV, it was great from start to finish, six matches on the card and all six matches delivered.
The opening match was excellent, Victoria and Trish Stratus collided in a Hardcore match, which could be considered one of the best women's matches of the year, and the Three Way Elimination Match for the WWE Tag Team Titles was great. The main event was the first Elimination Chamber match, which was a total success, as that match was an instant classic.
1 SummerSlam 2002
The best PPV among the first 10 WWE Ruthless Aggression Era PPVs was SummerSlam 2002, which is arguably the best SummerSlam PPV of all time and perhaps one of the best PPVs in WWE history. The build for this PPV was excellent, every match on the card felt important, and it definitely lived up to the hype.
The best match of the night was courtesy of Shawn Michaels and Triple H, but Brock Lesnar defeated The Rock in a memorable bout as well, and the opener between Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle was epic.
